Corn-planter



' UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

Lsvtsooriatn, or CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPEGIFICATIQN formingpart of Letters Patent ,No. 252,265, dated January10, 1882. Application filed August 30, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it mayconcern Be it known that I, LEVI SGOFIELD, of Cedar Rapids, in thecounty of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovementin Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description and specification thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whioh--- Figure lis a side elevalion, showing one of the runners, the standard, and twotop bars of acorn-planter with myimprovement attached, and Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts of the machine.

This invention has reference to the devices employed to cover the cornafter it has been dropped into the furrow; and it consists, first, inthe divided adjustable drag-bar by which the covering-plate is operated,and, secondly,

in the means foreffecting the various adjustments of said plate, bothseparately and combined. Y

In ,the drawings, A represents the runner; B, the standard; 0,the'longitudinal top bar, and D the transverse top bar. These devicesare represented because they are the usual devices employed in theconstruction of cornplanters; but the invention may be used with anyother construction to which it is applicable.

The invention consists in the covering-plate F, the drag-bar E E G, bywhich said covering-plate is drawn along after the machine and incheswide, and one-eighth of an inch thick,

held down to its work, and the means for adjusting the inclination ofthe drag-bar and covering-plate to enable the latter to be adjusted inheight without disturbing its inclination, or in inclination Withoutdisturbing its height, or both in height and inclination simultaneously.The form of the covering-plate is not new, and may be varied withoutaffecting the invention. As here represented, it consists of a curvedmetal plate about fifteen inches long, seven with smooth under surface.Its rear end rests nearly horizontal upon the ground. This plate F isattached by a bolt and nut, f, or any other suitable means, to a stock,G, preferably of wood, and of any suitable size and shape. The stock Gis held between the rear ends of two curved metal bars, E E, by means ofbolts and nuts cc, and is provided with one or more series of holes,gg', whereby the inclination of the plate to the ground can be variedwithout affecting the adjustment of the bars E E. The bars E E arepivoted at their forward end by means of ahorihontal boltand nut, 0 to aclevis, H, attached to the frame of the machine, by which means thedrag-bar and covering-plate can be together swung up and down upon saidpiv0t,thereby adjusting both the height and inclination of the platesimultaneously. A series of holes, k, may be provided in the clevis foradjusting the pivot 6 up and down, or the clevis itself may be madevertically adjustable. N o particularform of clevis is necessary. Nearthe middle of the bars E E they pass between two metal plates, I J,which clasp their upper and lower edges, as shown, or hold them securelyin any equivalent manner; ora single plate or block having a recess ineach side to hold the bars may be used instead. A screwbolt, K, extendsfrom the top bar, 0, down through the plates I J, between the bars E E,and is provided with a screw-nut, m, above the plate I, and anotherscrew nut, a, under the plate J. The bolt is vertically adjustable.through the top bar by means of screw-nuts k k, or their equivalents.The bearings of the screwnu'ts m it against the plates I J should beslightly convex, and the bolt should have alittle play in the holesthrough Whichit passes in the plate to enable the plates to rock ontheir support and the bolt to maintainits vertical position with thedrag-bar at difierent inclinations. A block or plate of metal may beinserted between the plates I J to prevent them from bending, it beingof course provided with a suitable hole to permit the bolt K to passthrough it. The bars E E diverge from the pivot, in order to pass aroundthe standard, and then converge to the front end of the stock G, fromwhich point they are parallel. The sides of the standard thus formguides to hold them laterally in position and render their adjustmentvertical.

The drag-bar and covering-plate can readily be adjusted at dilferentheights and inclinations, either by raising or lowering the bolt K orthe screw-nuts m a, or by adjusting the pivot 6 as above described. Bythis means both the depth of the furrow and the covering of the seed canbe regulated at will, as the weight of the machine can be thrown eitherupon the runners or the covering-plate to any extent desired. Thecovering-plate is held by the'standard from lateral displacement andcaused to follow the furrow accurately.

Having thus described myinvcntion, I claim as newi 1. The combinationofasinglecovering-plate with the runner and with a divided drag-barpivoted to the framernear the upper front end of the runner, andsupported between said pivot and the standard, whereby the inclinationofsaid drag-bar can be adjusted and fixed in adjusted positions, andwhereby the drag-bar is .laterally supported by the standard fromdeflection in either direction, substantially as described.

2. Thecombinationofasingle covering-plate with the runner, with a longdivided drag-bar pivoted to the frame near the upper front end of therunner, with a support between the pivot and the standard, and with anintermediate adjustable connection, G, arranged between the dividedportion of the drag'bar and the covering-plate, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the dra g-bar, arranged I above and independentlyof the runner, with the covering-plate and with the intermediate aboutmidway of its length immediately in front of the standard, and with anadjustable pivot at the front end of the drag-bar, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the covering-plate, the pivoted divided drag-bar,the plates I J, or their equivalent, the screw-nuts m n, and the bolt K,substantially as described. I

7. Thecombination of the covering-plate, the

pivoted divided drag-bar, the adjustable connection between the plateand the drag-bar, and the adjustable suspending device immediately infront of the standard, substantially as described.

' LEVI SOOFIELD.

Witnesses:

L. HILL, 0. F. HALL.

